Lt. Governor of Ohio helps welcome NEOMED’s inaugural class of dentists
Lily Dinh and 51 of her classmates were the first to step foot through the doors of the newest college at the Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown.
Dinh was the first student accepted into the Bitonte College of Dentistry. She and her classmates made history by donning their white coats as the first class of dentists at NEOMED.
Dinh helped cut the ribbon on the new college on Friday at NEOMED, which is the only public four-year program of its kind in northeast Ohio and third in the state.
Before the ribbon cutting, NEOMED’s president Dr. John Langell and the new dean, Dr. Sorin T. Teich, hosted a white coat ceremony for the first class of dentists set to graduate in 2029.
“You are not just our first class, you are our founding class,” Dr. Teich said. “The white coat you receive today is more than fabric and stitching. It is a public declaration of your commitment to the values, responsibilities and purpose of the dental profession. From this moment on, you carry with you the trust of your patients, the hopes of your community and the legacy of this new Bitonte College of Dentistry.”
Students also heard from members of the Bitonte family, Cliff Devney, president and CEO of Summa Health, Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel and State Rep. Heidi Workman.
“As I’ve traveled around the state for the last six months, what’s really exciting is there’s not a state right now in the country that has more opportunity for all levels of workforce than us,” Tressel said. “All the way from the technical worker to the educator to the social worker, healthcare is huge in our state, and for us to have this opportunity to have the state’s third dental school is incredible.”
The Bitonte College of Dentistry helps fill a gap in Ohio’s workforce and unmet oral healthcare needs of northeast Ohio rural communities.
“Just as visionaries once established a college of medicine on this ground, today’s event honors the same spirit by taking a pivotal step to address the oral health care crisis,” Devney said.
Several family members of the new college’s namesake attended and helped celebrate the ribbon cutting, including Drs. Gary and David Bitonte, whose father was a local dentist.
The Bitonte family made a $10 million endorsement through the Dr. Dominic A. and Helen M. Bitonte Family Foundation for the new college back in 2022, built by DeSalvo Construction.
“We believe in you, and we can’t wait to see the mark that you will make,” Dr. Teich said. “Congratulations and welcome to the profession.”
